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Back from the land of ranch style houses on a decent sized lot to colonial townhomes nestled together.

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We’re back from about 10 days in the San Francisco Bay Area. We stayed in Sonoma in an AirBNB close to family. We had lots of great time with them. My son came down from Oregon for a couple days. We saw lots of old favorites and a couple new favorites. Go Giants!

Dillon BeachView of San Francisco from Marin Headlands. Golden Gate Bridge in foregroundMission San Francisco Solano in Sonoma with a historic marker for the end of El Camino Real in the foregroundCoit TowerAntique truck pulling a hot air balloon basket blowing fire in the Sonoma July 4th paradeView of Oracle Park baseball park from the standsLumber mill framework in Old Mill park in Mill Valley, CAView of San Francisco peninsula from the top of Mount TamalpaisView of Point Reyes lighthouse and Pacific Ocean from the observation deck above itFront of San Francisco Ferry BuildingSonoma City Hall in the center of the town plaza at dusk

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Taking a break for a bit. I’ll be back with some more photos to share eventually.

(This is a painting of my dog that my daughter did for me for Father’s Day)

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Yet another spite house, but this one on Prince St measures three inches wider than the one on Queen St. A whole 7ft 9in wide.

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At the bottom right you can just make out the Basilica St. Mary Catholic Church’s spire behind these homes on Wolfe St. They ring the bells every hour. Feels like a little European village.

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George Washington endowed a school here in 1785 for orphan children. This is now the HQ for the Campagna Center, a non-profit organization dedicated to helping under-served children and their families.

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The Hollensbury Spite House is considered the skinniest house in the US. It measures 7 ft 6 in (2.3m) and was built in 1830 to stop people loitering in the alley of the house next door.

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The home at 415 Prince St began as the Bank of Potomac in 1805. Then became the Farmers Bank of Virginia prior to the civil war. Then the executive office and personal residence of the Governor of the Restored Government of Virginia following the civil war. It is now a private residence.

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The French-Lawler House on S Washington is a Queen Anne style house built in the late 1800s. It first belonged to a bookseller’s family, then an Irish immigrant merchant. It has been an office building since the 1970s.

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Alexandria Market House & City Hall has been on this site since 1749. This replica of the former building was completely rebuilt after a fire in 1871. The Farmer’s Market has taken place every Saturday in the square since 1752; making it America’s oldest.

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King Street is (mostly) empty at 0600.

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Known as Holland House, this home was originally built in the 1780s and has been added on over the years. The home on Wolfe St has a huge yard, parking for 5 cars, a carriage house, and, if you look closely through the gate, a statue of Thomas Jefferson sitting on a bench.

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This little free library of art is on S Fayette near Duke St. You can take a piece of art, leave a piece of art, or both!

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Ford’s Landing sits at the southern edge of Old Town. This site has been a shipyard in the 1800s, a Ford factory in the early 1900s and then this community of luxury townhomes in the 1990s. This gazebo is designed to look like the auto factory building.

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107 N Fairfax is the home of Docli Gelati. Right across the street from City Hall, it’s a busy spot when the tours are in full force. Most of the tourists don’t realize it was the home of Laura Schafer in 1868; the burning bride. You can Google it or take a local ghost tour to learn more.

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Named after two prominent black educators, Lyles Crouch Traditional Academy is the only public elementary school in the historic district. Founded in 1935 in an old silk factory, it was built for the growing African American population during a time of active segregation.

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Many of the townhomes in Old Town have these vestibules. The outer doors are open on this house, but most of them look like shutters.

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This house on the 900 block of Prince Street reminds me of something I would see in San Francisco.

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Shiloh Baptist Church on Duke St was founded in 1863 and this building dedicated in 1893. It was one of 10 black churches in Alexandria after the civil war to support the growing African American population. This building is now the youth center and the main church nearby.

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Today is the annual Old Town Arts and Crafts fair. Dozens of artisans with all sorts of handmade items for sale. We picked up a couple coffee mugs, metalwork item for the back yard, a couple candles, and lunch nearby. Beautiful day for the fair!